Containment

A Carlsbad, New Mexico landfill has received a $1.3 million fine from the New Mexico Environment Department for accepting improper waste. The facility, which attempted to ban NMED staff from inspection, has accepted (and failed to properly cover) asbestos and hazardous waste, in violation of its permit. Learn more here.;

Greenwich, Connecticut--like much of the northeastern United States--suffered extensive flood damage from the most recent nor'easter storms. Now, a consultant's report has recommended a number of flood defense solutions from bridge management to drainage system replacements. The total cost of the 33 recommended projects is estimated to be $100 million. Learn more here.;

Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry Richard Marles today launched a $2.4million research centre that will investigate ways to contain potentially hazardous leaks from mine waste, domestic tips, tank farms and dams. Australian manufacturer Geofabrics Australasia has privately funded the centre, which will test the chemical reactivity, UV resistance and friction properties of materials used to line waste facilities.

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2,930,700 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). This new infusion of money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help the state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment across the state.

The Canadian government and private industry in Newfoundland have agreed on a multi-year, $24 million spending increase on aquaculture projects. The principal goal is to improve salmon stocks. Just over $9 million of the funds will come from the government. Learn more here.;

Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia have signed a $2 billion plan to begin building a sustainable stormwater-management system in the city over the next 25 years. The green infrastructure plan includes installing porous pavement, roadside plantings and green roofs to collect rainwater runoff. The project is expected to prevent up to 8 billion gallons of water from entering the sewer system. Learn more here.;

A dispute between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington State over who should manage the Bainbridge Island Superfund site has resulted in $3 million needing to be returned to the federal government. A deal on maintenance and long-term management could not be reached, thus forfeiting some of the money allotted in a recent stimulus package. Learn more here.;

A Pennsylvania company has received a $36 million contract to repair Bluestone Dam. Brayman Construction Company of Saxonburg, Pa., will install 54 anchors in the dam's spillway and east abutment areas to help strengthen and stabilize the structure. Brayman also will build a work platform along the dam's western downstream face. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to install 600 anchors to increase the dam's stability. Learn more here.;

Governor David A. Paterson today announced the start of construction on a $4.6 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded project to close and cap the Akey Road Municipal Landfill in the City of Plattsburgh. Crews will seal the site in a safe, environmentally-sensitive manner, saving local taxpayers an estimated $2.9 million in avoided interest expense and protecting local groundwater. Governor Paterson has certified this and seven other clean water projects, totaling $19 million in federal economic recovery funds for the North Country Region.

The Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant in Washington, D.C., is starting a $4 billion project to meet new regulations and enhance water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Nitrogen levels will be reduced and tunnels built to store peak water flows for later treatment. Cambi thermal hydrolysis will be used to "cook" wastewater sludge into upgraded biosolids to be used to generate energy for the plant. "This is about as green a project as you can get," said Dave Schwartz, of Camp, Dresser & McKee. Learn more here.;

When the levee system that protects the NOLA region's shores began to be constructed roughly 80 years ago, they halted a natural process of silting that protected some of the coastal ecosystem. Today, with rising ocean levels, the shoreline lacks the natural protection it once had when silt was allowed to build up. A new 50-year, $50 billion master plan in Louisiana proposes to cut into or remove some levees--which are currently being built higher--and allow silt build up and some flooding. This massive restoration plan will dramatically impact some communities, actually removing their protection from floods. Read more in an engaging article from the Los Angeles Times. Learn more here.;

The government of New Zealand wants to improve its nation's competitive chances against lower-cost agriculture industries around the world. A $500 million fund is being established to be jointly managed by the government and industry. Agriculture and aquaculture are major targets. Initial awards, including seed money, will favor reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One area they could begin with: lining, covering and harvesting methane from waste lagoons. Learn more here.;

EPA has awarded $520,400 to Wayne, Nebraska, for improvements to its wastewater treatment plant project. Wayne's existing 25-year-old facility continues to generate odor complaints regarding the sludge treatment system. The grant will help construct a wastewater treatment plant which will address odor concerns.

Frontier Refining Inc. has been fined nearly $7 million and ordered to shut down a wastewater management pond for the improper storage of hazardous waste. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes the improper storage has gone on for nine years. Ponds might not have had liners. Learn more here.;

Schemes proposed by 15 councils in the United Kingdom to combat flooding and coastal erosion are being backed by £11 million of Government grants. Projects range from creating new sand dunes to buying land to rebuild properties at risk. Erosion affects 30% of the coastline while other areas are at risk of flooding. Learn more here.;

As part of an annual £100 million program spent each year by the agency British Waterways to maintain the United Kingdom's network of waterways, £60 is being allocated to a host of projects right now. The projects are funded through a combination of government grants and the income British Waterways generates from things such as property and boat licenses. Inspection and repair works this winter range from iconic aqueducts and lock flights to humble canal bridges. The agency is the third largest owner of listed buildings in the UK, maintaining, among many things, 54 tunnel, 3,115 bridges, 417 aqueducts and 91 reservoirs.

Questioning the practice of engineering has long been part of the geosynthetics field. It is this on-going dialogue and re-evaluation that leads to new manufacturing innovations, better CQA, more...

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) will be held 21-25 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany. This will be the biggest international geosynthetics conference during 2014, and it...

The International Conferences on Geosynthetics are of particular importance. Every four years these conferences provide a remarkable forum for geosynthetic knowledge. The 10th ICG (www.10icg-berlin.com), taking place at the ESTREL CONVENTION CENTRE...

Every four years a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) hosts the society's biggest event: the International Conference on Geosynthetics. An exceptional milestone will be reached when the...

Engineering News Record (ENR) has published a slideshow of the world's ten largest green roof installations. From Chicago's Millennium Park to Frankfurt's airport, Singapore's Polytechnic to Spain's Expo Zaragoza, the piece gives interesting snapshots of the range of innovation in and uses for green roofs. Geosynthetic separation, filtration, drainage and containment technologies are commonly used in green roof construction. Learn more here.;

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10ICG) will be held 21-25 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and hosted by...

BERLIN – When the quadrennial International Conference on Geosynthetics (10ICG) convenes at the state-of-the-art ESTREL Convention Centre in Berlin, 21 – 25 September 2014, it will connect multiple geotechnical...

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) will be held 21-24 September 2014 in Berlin, Germany. This quadrennial conference from the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will be hosted by the IGS Germany chapter and co-located with the German Geotechnical Society 2014 conference. Abstracts are invited through 15 May 2013. Learn more and upload your abstract via the online submission system.

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics (10 ICG) is building a considerable amount of support, and in a true show of its international character the organizers have shifted the...